An ethical analysis of the policy implications in the united states emerging from the relationship between human genomics and embryonic stem cell research

The paper discusses the policy implications that emerge from an ethical analysis of respect for human life in human genomics and embryonic stem cells. First, breakthroughs in human genomics raise many ethics concerns for human life. The death of the first patient in a gene therapy trial in 1999 gave prominence to a concern about patient safety in human genomics research. Second, the announcement of President Bush in August 2001 to permit federally funded research for medical therapies on a limited number of embryonic stem cells lines generated widespread debate about the meaning of embryonic human life. However, respecting human life in each area appears to yield opposing results. That is, respect for the value of human life in genomics research is articulated in terms of strict regulatory measures to protect patient safety; whereas, respect for the value of human life in embryonic stem cell research can entail a policy trajectory that seems tolerant of the destruction of some human embryos. Public policy must seek a coherent resolution of these bipolar propensities.